Cruz chewed out by colleague Mary Landrieu over abortion amendment

During the all night vote-a-rama to pass the Senate budget resolution last week, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz received a less-than-friendly visit from a colleague over his abortion amendment.

The Cruz amendment would create a point of order against funds to the United Nations while any member nation forces citizens or residents of that nation to undergo involuntary abortions.

“I recognize that members of this body have differing views on the right to life, but surely all of us can be agreed that for a woman to be forced against her will to abort her child is a horrific evil,” Cruz said when he introduced his legislation.

Despite the highly unlikely nature of the amendment’s passing, Cruz insisted on a roll call vote. This put senators in a difficult position: be on the record opposing the U.N. or promoting forced abortions.

CQ Roll Call reports that around 4 a.m., Landrieu ventured to the Republican side of the chamber to give Cruz her thoughts on how the issue should be handled.

“I suggested to him that a more direct and a more effective route might be for Texas to stop all exports to China or to stop any financial exchanges between Texas and China,” Landrieu said, according to CQ Roll Call. “That would have had a much more direct effect on what he was trying to do than take money from the U.N. … I thought he might like the idea. He should try it next time.”

The Texan’s gambit ultimately failed on a 38-61 vote. Fellow Texan Sen. John Cornyn voted in favor of it, along with spotlight Republicans Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Rand Paul, R-Ky.